


Where You Feel Safe

by Vyxyn



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: M/M, Mentions of Claudia Stilinski - Freeform, Mentions of Hale Family - Freeform, Stiles thinks he's good with animals, Wolf!Derek, but he is with Derek, derek and stiles don't know each other, derek needs help, he's not really, mentions of hunters, witches are involved but in a good way, yet - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-11
Updated: 2017-06-11
Packaged: 2018-11-13 00:36:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,216
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11173314
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vyxyn/pseuds/Vyxyn
Summary: When Derek is chased by hunters, he stumbles across a coven of witches, begging for their help.“This rune will protect you. It will sense what you need, and it will help you. Your protection will end when you are completely safe. I cannot tell you for how long that will be as I do not know. Only the rune knows. Please Hale heir, do not fight the protection. It may not be in a way you want or expect, but it knows what is best for you.”





	Where You Feel Safe

**Author's Note:**

> This is my submission for Sterek Reversebang!
> 
> A big thank you to [Kitty_KatAllie](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Kitty_KatAllie/pseuds/Kitty_KatAllie) for beta reading this for me, and at short notice. Your comments made me laugh, and you were super helpful!
> 
> And of course a massive thank you to [nosetothewind94](http://archiveofourown.org/users/nosetothewind94/pseuds/nosetothewind94), whose artwork prompted this story. Wolf!Derek is my favourite, and I squealed when I was assigned your art.
> 
> It was wonderful to talk to both of you over this process, and I hope we can stay in touch. Thanks again to both of you :)

Branches thwack Derek on his torso as he barrels through the preserve. Dodging the arrows and bullets of the pursuing hunters, he keeps an ear out on what’s behind him. Bursting through the tree line, he interrupts a coven trying to draw power from the Nemeton.

You should leave us be, Wolf. Leave us be!” one of the witches screeches at Derek.

Derek pauses, taking in the coven. He turns and looks behind him, hearing the hunters get closer. Turning back to the witches he begs, “Help me. Hunters … hunters are after me. Please help me.”

The High Priestess steps forward. “You’re a Hale, the last of your pack.”

“I am.”

“You must be protected. Come forward, Wolf.”

Derek stumbles forward in haste. Falling to his knees before the High Priestess, he looks up, desperation in his eyes. “Please”, he whispers.

Closing her eyes, the High Priestess raises her arms above Derek and begins a chant. She lays a hand on Derek’s shoulder, power pulsing through her fingertips. Derek inhales sharply as the witch’s power flows through him, tugging at his wolf.

Derek’s eyes glow red as the witch completes her chant. Picking up a smooth stone from next to the Nemeton, she imbues it with the same protection spell. Removing her leather choker, she secures it around the stone, and ties it around Derek’s neck.

“This rune will protect you. It will sense what you need, and it will help you. Your protection will end when you are completely safe. I cannot tell you for how long that will be as I do not know. Only the rune knows. Please Hale heir, do not fight the protection. It may not be in a way you want or expect, but it knows what is best for you.”

“Derek. My name is Derek.”

“Derek.” As the witch says his name, the stone glows, and in perfect calligraphy, Derek appears on the rune.

“You must go now, Wolf. You will be protected.”

Derek gets up from the preserve floor. Looking around he takes in the coven, who have gone back to chanting around the Nemeton. Looking behind him, he can hear the hunters still searching for him. Turning back to the witches, he thanks them, and takes off into the depths of the preserve.

******

An hour later sees Derek hiding in an alcove, breath coming in short gasps as he tries to calm down from running for his life. He managed to lose the hunters about 30 minutes before, but not taking any chances he kept running full tilt to safety.

Looking down at the rune around his neck, he wraps a hand around it, silently thanking the High Priestess for her help, only for the rune to glow warm under his palm. Letting go, the rune rests against Derek’s chest, right above his heart and glows brighter, power reaching into the depths of his soul, and a burst of light shoots out covering him entirely. Derek gasps and passes out, power from the rune overwhelming him.

******

When Derek wakes, he has no idea how much time has passed. The alcove he’s taken shelter in is darker than before, but some light makes its way sluggishly through the opening. Derek gets up and stretches, pausing halfway through when he realises that four legs are on the ground instead of two. He looks down and sees two giant black paws in front of him.

He yelps in surprise, and backs up against the wall of the alcove trying to get away from his paws. Derek’s heart is racing in panic, until he remembers what the High Priestess told him.

“ _Please Hale heir, do not fight the protection. It may not be in a way you want or expect, but it knows what is best for you_.”

Derek sits down with a huff. Feeling a pressure at the base of his spine, he turns around to see his tail. Big, black, and fluffy, he chuffs in amusement. Getting up, he slowly crawls out of the alcove, stopping to tip his nose into the air and check for the hunters. All he smells is other animals, and the freshness of the earth and the plants around him.

Creeping through the underbrush, he gets used to walking on four paws and the increased sense of smell. Once comfortable, he starts to pick up the pace, trotting, running, and finally sprinting. Taking off through the preserve at full tilt, he breaks through the border and into civilisation, and makes his way back to his home.

Derek’s about to turn the corner near the loft when he’s grabbed from behind. He yelps in fear, turning around to attack the hunters, but is relieved to see it’s Animal Control. The hefty men drag a stunned wolf into the back of their truck to take him to the nearest shelter.

Derek hangs his head in shame. He was so fixated on getting home that he completely missed being snuck up on. He’s been smooshed into a cage in the back of a van, and he barely fits. He tries to turn around so he can look out the window and plan his escape, but the only movement he’s able to manage is to sit down.

******

Scott takes the call from Animal Control. They’ve caught two cats, three dogs, and something that looks like a wolf-hybrid. The doors for the cages are open, ready to put the animals away once they arrive. One of the available capture nooses are leaning up against the wall, ready to help Animal Control bring in the wolf-hybrid.

The double-doors at the back of the shelter open, and the two Animal Control officers bring in the two cats first, placing them directly into a cage each. They then bring in the three dogs, one of the dogs pooping on the floor, and put them in their cages. While the Control officers are getting ready to bring out the wolf, Scott cleans up the poop, washes up, and goes out to help grabbing the noose as he walks past.

He hears the growls as he walks outside, savage barks echoing in the car park. The Animal Control officers are struggling with their control nooses, dragging the large black dog from the back of the van. Scott helps to lower him down onto the ground, and then walks backwards into the shelter while watching the slow progress of bringing the wolf inside.

It takes about fifteen minutes for them to get the wolf into his large cage out back. The growling was non-stop, with a final lunge at the workers before cowering in the corner.

Scott helps Animal Control wipe down the cages in the back of the van, then goes inside to check on the new additions.

******

That night Scott goes over to Stiles’ house for beer, pizza, and Call of Duty. They talk about their days, Stiles at his job at his bookstore, and Scott at the shelter.

They are a few beers in, the pizza is gone, and Scott turns to Stiles, eyes wide. “DUDE. You shoulda seen this dog today! He came in all growly and stuff, and he’s SO BIG. I tried to get in to wash him cause he’s a bit stinky, but he wouldn’t let me anywhere near him. Until it was dinner time of course. Poor dog was hungry. But DUDE. He has to be part wolf or something, cause he’s huge!”

Stiles maneuvers himself on the couch so he’s facing Scott. “Yeah? How big is he?”

“Super big dude. Like wolf size. He’s black, hella fluffy too. He’d be great to snuggle with if he wasn’t going to rip your face off.”

“He sounds awesome!” 

Scott shrugs. “He could be. But I don’t know. It’s possible he’s a wild animal, even though he has a collar and stuff.”

“Can I come see him?”  
  
“Yeah, you can! You can come see me, too!”

“Ok! I’ll come tomorrow after work! I can help you feed all the animals, too. Do you have any kittens? I want kitten cuddles.”  
  
“Nah, bro. No kittens. The last ones were adopted last week.”

Stiles pouts. “Boo. It’s ok. I’ll come pat the wolf then.”  
  
“But he’ll eat you!”

“No, he won’t. I have a way with animals.”  
  
Scott snorts, and pushes Stiles’ shoulder. “You so don’t, dude. Remember that dog a month ago that peed on you when you picked him up? And then took a dump on your shoe?”

“That dog clearly has zero taste. I am a delight to animals.”  
  
“What about that tabby cat that dug its claws into you and wouldn’t let go.”  
  
“But ...:”

“And that parakeet that got loose and was dive-bombing your head.”  
  
Stiles grumbles. “Ok man, you’ve made your point.”

“You still coming to visit though, right?”  
  
“Hell yeah!”

******

Derek sits huddled in the corner of the cage. The air is drenched in a clinical smell that Derek keeps trying to scrunch out of his nose. The food they gave him was good; mince, pasta, and vegetables. And the real stuff too, no dog chow in sight.

While Derek knows he’s safe, he’s still worried being in a strange place. It smells like strangers, and other animals, medicine, sickness, and death. The walls and floor in the cage are cold, but he’s laying on a bed of blankets. After being fed dinner by that Scott guy, he burrows into the blankets, makes himself a nest, and settles in for the night.

He listens to the whimper of a puppy in the cage across from him. It’s a whimper of fear and loneliness. Derek gets up and pads towards the cage door. He sees the pup up against wire door, whimpering pitifully. Derek chuffs at the pup, who looks around until he sees Derek. Derek rumbles at the young dog, flashing his eyes briefly, and the pup stops whimpering. He yips at Derek before making his way to his own bed, and getting comfortably to sleep.

Derek feels a warmth flow through him. He feels content at having helped that pup, so he goes back to his own pile of blankets to sleep.

******

The following afternoon, Stiles pulls a rattling Roscoe into the parking space next to Scott’s motorbike. Killing the engine, he removes his seatbelt and opens the door. Deep guttural growling assaults his ears as he exits the car. Chuckling to himself, he locks up the Jeep, and walks into the back door of the animal shelter where Scott works.

“Scotty boy, where you at?”

Stiles can’t hear any reply over the growling, so he follows that noise until he walks into the back room where the dogs are kept. There’s Scott, crouched down, arms out, palms up in a “hold it there” motion. Two of the other volunteers are in the same position, but Dr. Alan Deaton, owner of the shelter, is standing back watching the scene unfold. 

“Woah Scott, is this the dog you were telling me about?”

“Shhhhhh, Stiles. Stop! Don’t come closer!”

Stiles looks over at the dog. Big, black, and menacing, top lip drawn back in a snarl, eyes sharp and seemingly glowing red. “Wow”, he breathes.

The dog’s head flicks to Stiles in an instant, and the blood drains from the man's face. The dog on the other hand calms down, lolling tongue replacing the snarl, ears standing straight up instead of flat, and sitting up instead of crouching ready to pounce. The dog shuffles forward towards Stiles and lets out a ruff.

Stiles tilts his head in confusion. “Huh?” The dog copies the movement, and releases another ruff. Stiles starts laughing, the dog huffs. “Dude, you are super cute aren’t you!” He walks towards the dog, but Scott stops him.

“ _Whatareyoudoingareyouinsane_???”

“Bro, he’s fine now. Can I pat him?”

Scott looks at Stiles incredulously. “He’s dangerous!”

“Ummmm, no, he isn’t.”

Both men turn towards the dog who is now on the floor with his head in between his paws looking up at Stiles mournfully. “DUDE. Look at him! He’s begging me to pat him, you have to let me pat him!”

Scott steps back, resignation on his face. “Go for it, but I’m not driving you to the hospital when he mauls your face off, and I’m not explaining what happened to your dad. You’re on your own.”

“Whatever, dude. He loves me.”

Scott goes and stands next to Deaton while Stiles walks towards the dog, cooing words of praise. “You’re such a good and handsome boy aren’t you. Look at you with your beautiful face.”

Stiles crouches down in front of the dog, who then takes that as an invitation to launch himself at Stiles, knocking him on his ass. “Oof buddy, you’re heavy!”

The dog licks Stiles’ face and neck, getting Stiles’ ticklish spots, and Stiles starts laughing. This only encourages the dog more.

“Stop! Stop! Mercy!! Please stop licking me!!”

Scott steps forward to help get the dog off his friend, and the dog lifts his head, turns to Scott and growls. Stiles flicks his ear. “Dude, no. He’s a friend.”

The dog looks at Stiles. Hanging from the collar that is around his neck is a rune-inscribed stone, with the name Derek glowing in a purple script.

“Derek”, Stiles whispers. Derek tilts his head at Stiles. “Your name’s Derek?” Derek wuffs.

Scott snorts. “Who names their dog Derek?”

*****

The scent of “mate” washes over Derek, and he feels like he’s been slammed into a wall. The man before him is just beautiful, button nose, ruby-red lips, and moles splashed across his skin. He smells like sunshine and warmth, mixed with cinnamon sugar. His smile is wide, and he looks at Derek with eyes filled with fondness.

Derek is smitten.

“Your name’s Derek?” the man called Stiles says. Derek wuffs his agreement.

Scott snorts at Stiles. “Who names their dog Derek?”

“Dude, don’t be rude. That’s not nice of Scott, is it, Derek?” Derek agrees so he licks Stiles’ nose.

Stiles laughs, saying with his nose scrunching up in disgust, “Wow dude, you’re a bit rank. We need to get your ass in the bath!”

Scott pipes up. “Yeah, that’s what we were trying to do, but he wasn’t having any of it.”

“That’s because he doesn’t like you.” Derek wuffs in agreement. “See, he likes me better. Maybe I should give him a bath? Can I give you a bath, Der?”

Derek’s heart flip flops over the name. Der. He hasn’t been called that in years. He looks at Stiles and the hopeful look on his face. If he doesn’t agree, then maybe Stiles will leave, and he doesn’t want that. So he licks Stiles on the chin, and gets off the man and trots over to the big dog bath.

Scott is standing there in shock. He looks at Derek, then at Stiles, then back at Derek. He shakes his head, and then goes to get the shampoo, and doggy toothpaste so that Stiles can clean the wolf.

Stiles gets himself up off the floor, and goes over to where Derek is sitting patiently next to the bath tub. He scritches Derek behind his ear, watching as the wolf tilts his head towards the scratching. Derek’s tongue lolls out of his mouth, eyes rolling back in pleasure.

Stiles chuckles. “You like that, Der? Feel good?”

Derek wuffs, and licks Stiles’ hand. The man melts at the affection shown by the wolf, but stops when a whiff of the lupine hits his nose. “Ok, Derek, enough affection. Time to wash your furry butt. Do I need to pick you up and put you in the bath?”

Derek looks at Stiles with a head tilt, and then leaps into the bath with a resounding “Woof!!”

Scott walks back in just in time to see Derek launch himself into the bath unaided. “DUDE. Are you magic or something? He’s doing everything you want him to and your appendages are still intact.”

“Told you, Scott, animals love me! Now, give me this stuff so I can wash this brute.”

Scott comes forward to give Stiles the shampoo and toothpaste, and Derek growls softly when the men brush hands. Stiles flicks Derek on the ear. “Stop, Der.” Derek stops the growling, and hangs his head, looking up through his lashes at Stiles in embarrassment. Stiles reaches out and pats Derek gently between the ears. He takes the shampoo and toothpaste from Scott and puts them on the side of the tub. He goes to take off Derek’s collar, and it won’t budge. He turns it around the wolf’s neck to try and find a clasp to undo, but there’s not one there. Stiles takes a moment to look at the name tag. Derek’s name seems to glow under the scrutiny, warming in Stiles hand. Shrugging, he releases the tag and reaches for the taps.

Turning on the faucets, Stiles makes sure the water is a deliciously warm temperature, and begins to douse Derek’s fur. Derek tips his head back and looks at Stiles upside down while his coat is drenched. Stiles catches sight of Derek and starts to laugh, laughing even harder as Derek’s head starts to tilt his upside down head reaction to Stiles’ laughter.

Getting himself together, Stiles wipes the tears of laughter from his eyes and finishes off soaking Derek’s fur. Turning off the water, he grabs the shampoo and pours some over Derek, making sure it’s evenly distributed. Stiles pushes his long fingers into the onyx-black fur of the wolf, and begins to massage the shampoo in, fingertips tracing circles into Derek’s skin.

Derek rumbles in pleasure. Stiles’ fingers are magic, working the shampoo into a lather and dissolving the tenseness out of Derek’s body. It takes all of Derek’s strength to not collapse into the bath and roll on his back, showing Stiles his belly. Instead he closes his eyes and drowns in the sensation of those magical fingers gliding through his pelt.

Time seems to stand still as Derek falls into the sensation of being washed by Stiles. The man is being so gentle with him, making sure that every inch of Derek’s skin has been bathed, any knots in his fur gently untangled. It makes Derek’s heart seize with emotion, thumping back to life with a pause and a rush of warmth.

Stiles feels like home. Safe.

*******

Stiles finishes lathering Derek up, and turns on the tap to begin rinsing the shampoo. He notices that Derek seems like he’s in a trance, fully submitting to being washed by Stiles, and watches as the wolf seems to come back to reality.

“Enjoy it that much did you, big guy?” Stiles smiles at Derek, who is looking at him with fondness. “You felt quite tense there buddy, hopefully you feel heaps better. You definitely smell better.”

Derek turns and looks at Stiles adoringly, tongue spilling out with his wolfy smile. Stiles chuckles as he starts to rinse Derek’s fur. The dirty water pours off Derek and down the drain, leaving behind clean and super soft fur. Derek feels lighter, more relaxed and calm, despite still being at the shelter.

While Stiles was washing Derek, Scott comes in and leaves a couple of towels on a table for Stiles to dry Derek. Derek was so entranced he didn’t even notice Scott entering and leaving. Stiles turns off the water, and goes to grab one of the towels to begin drying the wolf.

Before Stiles can begin to dry the clean wolf, Derek leaps out of the tub and begins to shake. Stiles turns just as Derek starts his own special drying process, and it seems to go in slow motion. Derek’s body and head twisting and turning, expelling the liquid from his fur and spraying it against the formerly dry walls and floor. Stiles bellows in a drawn out, “Noooooooooo,” throwing the towel across the room so it drapes dramatically on top of the shaking wolf.

Time seems to return to normal once the towel covers Derek, and Stiles lunges forward and starts drying the wolf, chastising him under his breath. “Bad dog! You are so naughty Derek, and look at the mess you’ve made! Scott is going to kill me! Or you. Ugh we need more towels.”

Derek whimpers at Stiles. He can hear the frustration in the man’s voice, and Derek panics that it’s going to push Stiles away. Stiles hears the whimper and removes the towel from Derek’s head. The wolf’s fur stands up at all angles after being rubbed furiously. Stiles grins, and smooths down the fur. “I’m not angry at you, Derek. I promise. We’ve just made a bit of a mess. I promise I’m not angry.”

Derek leans forward and puts the crown of his head against Stiles’ chest. Stiles almost dies from the cute. He wraps his arms around the wet lupine and gives him a big cuddle, and that’s how Scott finds them two minutes later.

******

Scott walks in to check up on his best friend and make sure he hasn’t been dismembered by the newest shelter resident. He walks in on a scene that could only be taken from one of those videos you see on Facebook, the ones that rip your still-beating heart out of your chest, and have you crying in the first 30 seconds. He takes his phone out of his pocket, and takes a picture, reminding himself to send the photo to Stiles later.

Clearing his throat Scott announces his presence, but Stiles and Derek don’t seem to hear him. Scott can’t believe what he’s seeing. His flailing friend, bonding with a vicious animal. Well, Derek was vicious until Stiles walked into the room. He doesn’t understand what he’s seeing, but he can only think of one thing.

“You should adopt him, Stiles.”

Stiles turns to look at Scott. “Huh?”

“Adopt him. Derek I mean. You should take him home. I’ve never seen anything like this before, Stiles. He listens to you. He let you wash him. You were hugging. You should adopt him.”

Stiles looks at Derek, who is looking back at Stiles with adoration. “But he has a nametag, Scott. He already belongs to someone.”  
  
“He doesn’t have a microchip. There’s no missing dog reports on dogs fitting his description. Even if he does have an owner, he’s so much more comfortable with you. I can’t be fighting him everyday just to feed him. You’d be doing me a favour.”

Derek places a big paw on Stiles’ arm. Stiles looks Derek in the eyes and can feel his resolve slipping. As if to hammer the point home, Derek slides to the floor and rolls on his back, showing Stiles his belly. Stiles laughs, and rubs Derek’s tummy. “Did you want to come home with me?”

Derek gets up as fast as he can and bounds through the room, knocking over a stool and box full of tins of cat food. He’s leaping around, bouncing in excitement, stopping in front of Scott to give a happy bark, and proceeding to Stiles where he sits on his feet. Derek looks up at Stiles who is laughing heartily at Derek’s antics. Even Scott is having a chuckle.

“I think someone is excited to be going home with you, Stiles. Don’t go just yet, I’ll get you some supplies.”

Scott walks out to the big fridge in the other room where they keep the freshly made food, and grabs a few days worth of food. He grabs a lead, a bowl each for food and water, and an unopened bottle of shampoo. Walking back into the room where Derek and Stiles are, Derek still sitting on Stiles’ feet, Stiles scratching Derek behind the ear.

Placing the gear into a plastic bag, he holds the bag out to Stiles who takes it while trying to shuffle Derek off his feet. “Ok, big guy, time to go home.”

Derek gets up from Stiles’ feet with a flurry of limbs. Stiles calls out to Derek who is running for the backdoor. “Derek! Get back here and say goodbye to Scott!”

Derek skids to a halt, back legs almost overtaking his front legs. He turns around slowly.

“Derek, come say goodbye to Scott.”

Derek chuffs, and walks as slowly as possible to come and stand in front of Scott. He looks up at the man, and licks his hand as a thank you. Scott then pats Derek’s head awkwardly. “Ok, Derek, you be good for Stiles.” Derek licks Scott again, then headbutts his knee before making his way back to the back door.

Stiles is watching the interaction with a quiet smile, bag of dog goodies clutched in his hand. Going over to Scott, he hugs him tightly. “Thanks, Scott. You’ve been a big help!”

“Nah, man, you’re helping me. I was beginning to worry about what was going to happen to Derek, but I see he’ll be in perfect hands.”

“Yeah, he will!”

Scott slaps Stiles on the ass. “You can see yourself out, yeah? We’re expecting the Animal Control guys here in the next 10 minutes. I need to get ready for them. Derek? You look after, Stiles!”

Derek wuffs at Scott’s retreating figure, and starts dancing on the spot, getting excited about leaving the shelter.

“Ok ok, I’m coming dude, I’m coming! Hold your horses!” Stiles makes it to the backdoor, unlocks, then flips it open. Derek pushes the door even further, making a break for the nearest patch of grass.

“Derek! NO!! What are you doing?”

Derek throws himself on the ground and rolls energetically, happy grunts spilling from his open mouth. He scoots along the grass to dry himself then stops to roll around again. Stiles is standing there aghast, watching the formerly clean, slightly damp, yet fluffy Derek, cover himself in grass and dirt.

Derek pauses in his rolling to look at Stiles upside down, pure joy written over his fuzzy face. Stiles groans. “You’re a menace, Derek.”

Stiles walks towards Derek, and drops the bag on the ground, and kneels on the grass next to his new housemate. He gives Derek’s belly a rub, slow circles over his fur. Stiles finds that magic spot, the one spot that triggers the back leg into scratching at the air. Derek grunts while Stiles is rubbing his belly, until the rubbing is sped up, and his leg feels like it’s going a million miles an hour.

Derek feels like he’s floating. He’s never just clicked with anyone like this before. Even though he’s currently in wolf form, everything just feels so … right. Derek gets up and starts frantically licking Stiles’ face again before he bolts towards the passenger side of the Jeep.

Stiles is still laughing as he gets up from the grass. Grabbing the bag he dropped, he walks to the drivers side, opens the door, and slides in, placing the bag in the backseat, and leaning over and unlocking the passenger side. Derek jumps into the car and licks Stiles face as he’s trying to close the door.

“Dude. Stop with the tongue bath!”

Stiles reaches behind Derek to grab the seatbelt, and clicks it into place. Derek sits happily on his seat watching Stiles, and then the scenery going by, as Stiles reverses the car out of his parking space and onto the street. It's not long before Stiles pulls the Jeep into a driveway in front of a small, cozy looking house.

Stiles undoes Derek’s seatbelt, and leans over and opens the door. Derek jumps out and runs to the front door, waiting patiently while Stiles locks up the car. Opening the front door, Stiles switches on the light that illuminates the lounge and dining room. Derek is sniffing around all the furniture, letting the concentrated scent of Stiles wash over him. He wanders into the kitchen, nose to the floor, sniffing out bits of food, and sticking his nose into the bin.

Stiles gets out the two bowls Scott gave him, and put the food in one, and placed this on the floor for Derek to eat once he was finished investigating. He filled up the other bowl with water, and placed it next to the food bowl that Derek had already began eating from. Stiles watches Derek finish his meal, then have a drink of water. Opening up the backdoor, he shoos Derek outside with instructions to go to the bathroom, and to come back inside once he was ready.

Derek happily goes outside in the dark. He has a good sniff around the backyard. After doing his business in the back corner, he tears around the backyard to get rid of the happy energy that’s built up. Trotting up the stairs and back into the kitchen, he watches as Stiles takes a final bite of a sandwich, and rinse the plate in the sink. He smiles when he sees Derek sitting there watching him.

“You’re a good boy, Derek”, he says with a pat to the wolf’s head as he goes to lock up the back door. “I hope you get to stay with me for a long time. Why don’t you run upstairs and have a sniff around while I close up down here?”

Derek looks at Stiles with a tilt of his head. “Go on, Der, I know you understand what I’m saying. Up you go.”

Derek takes off out of the kitchen and bounds up the stairs. Stiles watches in amusement, shaking his head with fondness. “What a strange-ass day.”

Derek makes his way to the first room. He sniffs in the spare bedroom, then the bathroom, and tries to get his nose under the door of the linen cupboard. Finally, he comes to Stiles’ room. He nudges the door open with his nose and enters. A queen-sized bed is the centrepiece of the room, with a big fluffy duvet and a couple of well loved pillows. There are piles of books scattered around the room, and a chaise with a lamp and side table next to it. Stiles’ room looks lived in and homey, and the scent of Stiles, mixed with the richness of the various loved books, fills Derek with a warmth he’s not felt since his family.

Suddenly weary, Derek walks to the bed and jumps on top, turning around in a circle a few times before settling down on top of the covers. He listens as Stiles finishes his couple of chores, turns off the lights, and then walks up the stairs.

Stiles walks in to see Derek on his bed. Clearly this is an argument he is not going to win, so he doesn’t even start it. Grabbing his sleep pants and a shirt from his second drawer, Stiles goes into the bathroom to change, not wanting to give his pet a show. Placing his dirty clothes in the clothes hamper, he begins his nighttime routine; he switches off the light and comes back into the bedroom to find Derek hasn’t moved.

“Can you move over a bit, Derek? I need a bit of space.”

Stiles peels back the covers of the bed and waits until Derek moves. Derek gets up and moves to the edge of the bed and waits until Stiles has settled in his spot, before making himself comfortable. Flopping back onto the bed, Derek ends up pressed up against Stiles, who pulls his arm out from under the covers, and lays it across Derek, tucking it between his front paws, and pulling the wolf closer to him.

“‘Night, Der. Welcome home.”

Derek wuffs softly.

******

Stiles wakes in the morning feeling warm, almost to the point where he’s about to break into a sweat. Remembering he fell asleep cuddling his new pet, he smiles while picturing the shenanigans of the night before. As he gets closer to waking up completely, he realises that’s not fur he can feel against his arm, but skin.

Stiles flails so hard he almost launches his bed-fellow across the room. He does manage to fling himself out of the bed, landing with a thud on the floor.

“What the fuck? Who are you?? What are you doing in my bed??? WHY ARE YOU NAKED!! And where is my guard dog? Oh my god! Derek? Where are you??? There is an intruder in our bedroom!” Stiles backs himself up against his chest of drawers.

The rather attractive, and incredibly naked man laying on top of the covers of Stiles looks up at him in confusion. 

“I’m Derek.”

Stiles flings a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt he’s snatched off the floor at the man on the bed. “You can’t be Derek! Derek is a dog!”

“A wolf.”  
  
“What?”

Pulling on the offered clothes slowly, Derek tries to calm his heart. “I said I’m a wolf. Werewolf actually.”  
  
“Oh.” Stiles relaxes and stands up straighter. “But why didn’t you change back to human from a wolf earlier? Could have saved yourself the trouble of having to sleep in a shelter.”

Derek moves to sit on the edge of the bed. A million emotions dance across his face. Resting his hands in his lap, he replies, “I couldn’t change back. It was a protection spell. Hunters were after me, and wait. Why aren’t you freaked out about werewolves?”

“Scott’s a werewolf. Which is weird, right? Shouldn’t both of you been able to tell that the other one was a wolf? Why didn’t either of you pick it up?”

Derek shrugs. “I can’t be sure. The witch that cast the spell told me that the rune would do whatever it would take to protect me. Maybe it thought hiding I’m a were from others would be the best way to protect me.”

“Ah. Makes sense. Well, um. I guess, I’m Stiles? Stiles Stilinski.” Stiles reaches out his hand towards Derek. Derek stands and takes his hand.

“That’s a question? Not sure you’re Stiles?”

Stiles pokes his tongue out. “Shut up. I’m just … surprised I guess. So you are Derek? Got a last name?”

“Hale.”

“Oh wow. I um. I went to school with Cora. I’m really sorry about what happened to your family.”  
  
“I’m sorry about what happened to your mom.”

“You knew my mom?”

“I did. Mrs Stilinski was my favourite teacher.”

“Wow. Small town. So um, you were talking about hunters? And a witch.”

Derek nods. “I’ll happily tell you the story, but I really need a cup of coffee.”

“Of course! I’ll go down now and turn on the machine. You um, you do what you need to, if you want a proper shower with not dog shampoo, then feel free to have a quick shower. Use mine if you like.”  
  
Derek shakes his head. “I’m ok for the moment. Coffee first though.”

******

Both men have a cup of coffee in front of them, Derek black no sugars, while Stiles’ is with three. Once Derek is sufficiently caffeinated, he puts the cup down on the dining table and looks up at Stiles, eyebrows pinched with nerves. 

“I was up in Oregon when the hunters found me. My family has a cabin in the woods that I like to stay in. I fled back to Beacon Hills. Took a couple of days to make it back, but by the time I got here, the hunters were close on my heels. I was running through the preserve, out near the Nemeton, and a coven of witches was there. I asked for help which the High Priestess thankfully gave. After giving me the rune, which you saw as my collar and nametag, I kept running through the preserve until I could no longer feel the presence of the hunters. The rune knocked me out, and when I came to I was a wolf.”

“Wow”, Stiles breathes, hanging onto every word.

Derek smiles softly. “I was trying to make it back to my loft when I was caught by Animal Control, and you know the rest.” 

“No, I don’t.”

Derek furrows his brows. “Well, you were there for the rest of it. The horrendously embarrassing rest of it.”

Stiles chuckles. “You were adorable! Until you shook bath water all over the place. And you’ve got the cute puppy dog eyes thing down pat.”

“Shut up.”

Stiles laughs delightedly. “What I mean, though, is that we don’t know why you’re are human again. What did the witch say about that?”

Derek reaches for his coffee cup again, trying to distract himself from answering Stiles’ question. He takes a few sips, and puts the cup back down when there is only a splash left. He swallows.

“She told me that the protection ends once I was completely safe.”

Stiles eyes soften. “You feel safe with me?”

Derek nods. “I do.”

Stiles smiles at Derek, fingers twitching against his cup.

“You’re welcome to stay as long as you want. I have a spare room. Or you know, you can stay with me. In my room, if that’s what makes you feel safe.”

Derek reaches across the table and takes Stiles’ hand. “Thank you Stiles.”

“I have one question, though.”

“Ok?”

“Will you let me rub your belly again?”

Derek rolls his eyes, but smiles into his cup while he finishes the very last of his coffee.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Even Alphas Like Bellyrubs](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11175945) by [nosetothewind94](https://archiveofourown.org/users/nosetothewind94/pseuds/nosetothewind94)




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